I am Ulf Jonasson and I live - together with my wife Birgitta - in a small Swedish town – Katrineholm in Sörmland. Before we moved to this county we lived many years in Uppsala - where we were studying at the University of Uppsala. I got my Doctor´s degree in Public Health in 2001 at the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg.

lördag 26 mars 2016

Do not forget the worst opiate - Propoxyphene - that killed most people during 53 years - and caused the heroin epidemic

Prescription opioids can be used to treat moderate-to-severe pain and are often prescribed following surgery or injury, or for health conditions such as cancer. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the acceptance and use of prescription opioids for the treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain, such as back pain or osteoarthritis, despite serious risks and the lack of evidence about their long-term effectiveness.

When the Prescription Becomes the Problem

Providers wrote nearly a quarter of a billion opioid prescriptions in 2013—with wide variation across states. This is enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills.1

Health care providers in the highest prescribing state, Alabama, wrote almost three times as many of these prescriptions per person as those in the lowest prescribing state, Hawaii.2

Studies suggest that regional variation in use of prescription opioids cannot be explained by the underlying health status of the population.2

The most common drugs involved in prescription opioid overdose deaths include:

Methadone

Oxycodone (such as OxyContin®)

Hydrocodone (such as Vicodin®)3

To reverse this epidemic, we need to improve the way we treat pain. We must prevent abuse, addiction, and overdose before they start.

Addiction and Overdose

Anyone who takes prescription opioids can become addicted to them. In fact, as many as one in four patients receiving long-term opioid therapy in a primary care setting struggles with opioid addiction.4,5,6 Once addicted, it can be hard to stop. In 2014, nearly two million Americans either abused or were dependent on prescription opioid pain relievers.

Taking too many prescription opioids can stop a person’s breathing—leading to death.